In-Custody Death of an Inmate from the Theo Lacy Facility 

February 9, 2026 – ORANGE, CA – Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials report that on Saturday, February 7, 2026, an inmate housed at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange died at a local hospital. 

The 31-year-old inmate, Dennis Gomez, was remanded by the courts to the custody of the Sheriff and booked on February 2, 2026, for PC 594 Vandalism and PC 186.22 Criminal Street Gang Enhancement. 

On February 7, while housed at the Theo Lacy Facility, Gomez was found unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital. At approximately 2:00 p.m. the same day, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Preliminarily, there are no suspicious circumstances. A final cause of death will be determined following an independent autopsy and toxicology.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will investigate the in-custody death. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will conduct an in-custody death review. No additional information will be released at this time. 

Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Department